Gobble Gobble (Turkey) Casserole

I'm sure that I am not the only woman who tries to find other ways to enjoy the leftovers of a Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey. Nah, I can't possibly be. So I put my "little grey cells" to work, as my favorite detective Hercule Poirot would say, and then it hit me! Not a turkey soup...no, I've had plenty of that through the years, it's to be expected...instead it occurred to me that a casserole was the way to go. So here we go!
Here we have the main players of this production. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350°F.
While the oven is getting warmed up, grab a medium saucepan and fill it with 3 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Since a watched pot never boils, start tearing, cutting or shredding 2 cups of turkey meat. White meat, dark meat or both...it's your choice. Mine? White meat everytime. Place the turkey meat into a 9x13 baking dish.

It's time to grab your knife! I like to buy pre-sliced mushrooms, it's so convenient, so all that's necessary now is to slice them into halves. If there are a few peices that are too big when halved, then go ahead...get crazy and cut them into quarters! Place the mushrooms into a medium sized bowl.

Now grab your carrots. (I always grab more than needed starting off) Again, take a little bit of the work out of your day...when you hit the store, grab the bag of peeled carrots. Let's slice these beauties into 1/4" thick disks. Perfectly bite-sized. Add the carrots to the mushroom bowl. And set aside. Let's check in on our water...

It's ready for action!

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to the water. This is the only chance there is to flavor the pasta itself.

Pour in 1 1/2 cups of mini pasta. I used mini wheels. (my kiddles love the mini wheels) Cover and let cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Be sure to set your timer...we don't want the pasta to cook completely. 5 minutes is all that's needed to reach al dente. This timer annoys me more than the one on my stove so it really gets my attention.
Back to our casserole assembly...in a medium bowl mix 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup...
Add 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning,

1/2 teaspoon sea salt,

1/4 teaspoon black pepper,

 1/8 teaspoon paprika.

Stir until it's creamy and everything is well mixed.

Time to add our milk! Add little by little, stirring carefully so things don't slop all over you. (this is a problem that I battle all the time)

Oh! Time to get our pasta off of the stove! Have your strainer ready and place it in the sink. Step back as you pour the pasta into the strainer...unless you are in need of serious facial. Give the pasta a little cold shower...to stop the cooking process. It will finish cooking in the oven.

Okay, back to the casserole dish. Here we have our turkey...looking a little lonely.

Perhaps a little pasta will help...looking better, but not there yet.
Let's add the carrots and mushrooms....getting there.
Time to mix the turkey, pasta, carrots and mushrooms with your hands to insure that everything is well distributed. (plus it's just another excuse to get your hands in there)
Ah, yes. Much better. Now we're getting somewhere.
Pour the soup mixture over the turkey, carrots and mushrooms...
mix well and spread the mixture evening in the casserole dish.
Oh it looks so good already!

Check out this creamy goodness...it's just screaming to be eaten! And we could stop here...but why do that?

Time to mix our toppings! Here is our next cast of characters.
Pour out 1 cup of French's French Fried Onions onto the cutting board. Here is it.... a chance to get some agression out...perhaps pent up from those pesky laundry stains you just can't seem to get out. Perhaps not. Regardless, these french fried onions are in need of a good beating. Don't resist...how many times does that mallet actually get to come out and have some fun?
Once the onions have been pummeled into crumbs, pour then into a small mixing bowl. Then grab 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs and pour them in aswell. As you could see before, I keep quite a bit onhand. Oh how I love bulk bin shopping.

Pour our toppings over the casserole mixture.

Carefully smooth the toppings evenly, trying not to uproot any goodies along the way.
Since a little more of a crunch is always nice, drizzle 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on top of the toppings.

Now it's time to use a bit of a gently touch. Just mix the oil in enough to get some of the bread and onion crumbs mixed in. As you can see, I've chosen to use a table knife rather than a spoon...I do not want to accidently start scooping things up to the top. And mixing it all into the casserole is definately not what the goal is here.

Okay. Ready to hope on into the oven. All that's needed is a little covering of aluminum foil first. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover the casserole and bake an additional 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) so the bread topping can get a little crunchy.
It's time! Pull that badboy out of the oven and let it set for 10 minutes. This is the point when my Charming came over looked at it with a questionable expression on his face (as he knew that I was experimenting with a new recipe) and said, "Well, is this it? Can I try it? It smells good." (pick me up off the floor!) This dish is now a very welcomed addition to our menu. Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble (Turkey) Casserole
Ingredients:
2 Cups Turkey, dark and/or light meat pulled or shredded into bite size peices
2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms, halved
1-1/2 Cup Sliced Carrots, 1/4" thick
1 Cup Dry Pasta of your choice (mini pastas work best)
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt, Separated
3 Cups Water
2 - 10oz. Cans of Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Cup Whole Milk
Topping:
1 Cup French's French Fried Onions
1 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. When water comes to a boil, add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and pasta. Cook for 5 minutes until al dente. (pasta will finish cooking in the oven) When pasta is ready, strain pasta & rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to finish draining excess water.

While pasta is cooking, tear, cut or shred 2 cups of turkey meat. Set aside in a 9x13 casserole dish.
Slice peeled carrots into 1/4" rounds. Set aside in a medium bowl. Slice mushrooms into halves. (quarters for large sections) If your mushrooms are not pre-sliced, then start by slicing them into 1/4" slices, then halve or quarter accordingly. Place in the bowl with carrots.

In a seperate medium bowl combine soup, poultry seasoning, black pepper, paprika and milk.
Pour pasta into casserole dish. Mix with turkey pieces. Add carrots & mushrooms and mix again, distributing ingredients evenly. Add soup mixture to casserole dish. Mix ingredients well and spread evenly.

With a mallet, crush the French's Fried Onions until they become crumbs. Pour into a small bowl and mix with the bread crumbs. Drizzle olive oil over the breading mixture and mix gently. Pour breading mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. (if prefered, pour dry breading over casserole and lightly coat with olive oil cooking spray)

Cover casserole with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Cook for another 25-30 minutes (depending on the oven) uncovered to allow breading to toast. Remove and let casserole with for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Celebrate Autumn's Treasure: The Pumpkin

It’s Fall…we need to celebrate the pumpkin. Disney does a pretty good job of it...and perhaps I think so because I'm a huge Disney fan to begin with. But I'm not talking about just carving it up and lighting a candle inside…NO! We need to be able to savour this Autumn treasure of the patch.

Here are some amazing recipes that I have found from other talented bloggers to celebrate the PUMPKIN!

View complete posting: Celebrate Autumn's Treasure: The Pumpkin

Porchetta & Roasted Veggies

Now, I can’t take full credit for this recipe, as much as I would love to…I was watching Chef Anne Burrel’s show Secrets Of A Restaurant Chef and absolutely had to try-out this recipe. It’s a rustic Italian pork roast that is full of flavor…and you get your side dish of veggies done at the same time! Let me just say that I can’t even tell you just how thrilled I was with it. (even though I made a few modifications to the original recipe)

View complete posting: Porchetta & Roasted Veggies

Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms

Charming & I are big fans of sauteed mushrooms...we just love them.
And if I'm making steaks or pork chops, then I better make sure that I have some mushrooms ready to hop into a pan or dinner just won't be complete.

This is such a quick and simple side dish to have and it delivers every time. So quick in fact, that by the time you finish reading this you'd be at least half way through the cooking process.

View complete posting: Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms

Southwest Chicken & Chorizo Soup

There are no words to describe just how much I LOVE this particular soup. Oh the amazing comfort food that it is…so perfect for cold or rainy days. There is so much in it that is good for you (minus the chorizo) that there are even more added benefits than just making you feel warm and cozy inside.

Here we go! The base of this soup is really these little goodies. Basically you could use all of this without having the chicken and corn added in because it’s just that good. But having the chicken and corn in the pot just bring the whole soup up a notch.

Sheppard's Pie With Cheesy Potatoes

I love not having to throw things together in the evening for dinner. Having something in the fridge or freezer that is ready to just be placed into a preheated oven just seems like heaven to me.

So, I came up with this version of Sheppard's Pie with a cheesy potato topping. My husband absolutely loves it and it is perfect for those nights when you really don't feel like cooking. Make it 1-2 days ahead and then just pop it from the fridge to the oven to the table. The beauty of this recipe is that it serves 8, which means that you could split it and have two dinners for 4 ready with the same amount of effort.

Start by taking 10 medium sized potatoes (or 5 large russet potatoes),

peeled and cut into halves so that the pieces are relatively all the same size.

Place the potatoes into a pot filled with 8 cups cold water. Then crank the heat on the stove up to high to get things boiling. When the pot is boiling, turn the heat down to medium and allow the potatoes to cook a total of approximately 20 minutes. Check the tenderness of the potatoes. If they are not easily pierced by a fork, then allow them to cook an additional 5 minutes, or until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, I take 3 pounds of lean ground beef and place it in the largest skillet I have. Again, turn the heat up to high to start rendering off the fat. Then add a bit of black pepper to get things going flavor-wise.

As the meat simmers, my multi-tasking abilities get put to use and I peel & cut the carrots.

Try to grab the ones that are about the same size, then cut them into 1/4" rounds.

I like to keep the carrots as close to the same size as possible, so the larger pieces get sliced in half. Tip: If you like to avoid the peeling process, pick-up a bag of the pre-peeled baby carrots the next time you're at the store.

Check on the meat and give it a good stir. The more fat that is rendered off now the better. I don't want it to be dry, so there will be some left in the pan, but trust me, you don't want to have a cup of beef fat in this dish. *Bleh!*

Take the time to stir the meat around the skillet occasionally. Pink meat is not wanted here, we want everything to be nice and browned.

Alright, after about 15 minutes go ahead and start spooning out the rendered fat into a heat resistant cup or bowl. Be sure to leave a little in the pan so that the meat isn't too dry.

Time to add in my onion soup mix. I used to make this dish with fresh onions, but then discovered that the onion soup mix brings out a much richer flavor in the meat.

Now I add in my carrots, a couple cans of diced tomatoes (not drained), and a bag of frozen corn. Stir it around, getting everything well mixed together.

Although this is really starting to look good, not to mention smell extremely appetizing, there still needs to be a little bit more simmer time, about 15 minutes.

And just to kick it up a notch I like to throw in 3 tablespoons of Cabernet Sauvignon. This gives the dish such a great flavor...very much like the sauce for Salisbury Steak.

Oh, I almost forgot to add one more ingredient! Sea salt, just a touch (well, 1/2 teaspoon) to help bring out more flavor.

While the meat continues to simmer, I take the potatoes and drain them. Then pour them into my mixing bowl. Time to put my mixing paddle to work. I set the speed on 2 and pour in the whole milk. This helps make these potatoes nice and creamy.

After the potatoes have been broken down a bit, I turn up the speed to a 6 and watch these steaming hot potatoes become light and fluffy.

Time for my hubby's favorite...colby cheese. I can't even begin to tell you just how amazing this makes the potatoes. 

Add a bit of sea salt and butter. Then the topper...finely shredded colby jack cheese! Oh yeah, we have some seriously cheesy potatoes happening here.

Back to the meat...take it off of the stove and start spooning it into a large 5 quart baking dish. I smooth it out so that everything is nice and level.

Now to spoon on the potatoes. Same thing with the potatoes...smoothing them out to make it level and equal for all parties who will be enjoying this dish later.

Now this is optional, but why on earth would you deny yourself the extra touch of cheesy goodness?

I like to top off the sheppard's pie with another 1/2 cup of shredded colby jack cheese. Then just cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the fridge until it's time to get it in the oven.

A few hours later....I preheat the oven to 375°F and start off with the dish covered for the first 15 minutes.

Then remove the foil for the remainder of the cook time (15-30 minutes depending on oven) so that the cheese gets melted and browned and the center is nice and hot. (If baking right after assembling the dish, then bake for 15-20 minutes uncovered until the top is toasted golden brown.)

Onto a waiting plate and we are ready to ENJOY!

Ahhh...this is comfort food at it's finest.

And then it's gone.